Exceeding Expectations
by Batty Musings
Summary: Lin Beifong did not expect to find a child hiding in the Triad base. Nor did she expect him to be a competent earthbender, more willing to follow orders than her own police force, and more kind than any person had a right to be. Metalbender!Bolin AU
1. Chapter 1

** Chapter One  
**

The street was empty and silent, save for the whistling of the wind as it blew through the small crevices of earth, somehow managing to send a brisk cold air directly into their makeshift hideout. Lin Beifong clenched a tight fist, unwilling to give in to the impulse to shiver even though her fellow metalbenders shook like leaves. She hardened herself, refusing to give up her surveillance of the plain green shack.

She would not show weakness, not at a time like this. They were too close. As she focused her mind on capturing the fugitives, the cop fidgeting beside her decided to finally speak up.

"Um, Lady Beifong, are you sure this is even the place? We've staked it out for nearly three days. It doesn't even look like anyone owns it."

Lin didn't need to turn around to look at the rest of the metalbending police task force, huddling against the back wall of the dugout they bended, to know that they were all nodding their heads in agreement. She gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to call them out for high insubordination. Only the threat of the paperwork an action such as that would bring made her hold her tongue from doing so. That's not to say she didn't have a few choice words.

Without looking at him, she spat, "If you know any other Triad safe houses in the surrounding downtown areas that fit the profile, Lieutenant Somu, I would ask that you please inform me of them before you decide to bring my judgment into question."

The bitter tone of her voice slammed into him harder than any of her fists could. Stuttering, and realizing that the future of his career was to be decided on what kind of answer he gave, he stammered, " Of c-course, Lady Beifong, ma'am, a-anything you-"

"I have also made it known multiple times that none of you are to address me as Lady Beifong. I am your superior and you will treat me as such, Lieutenant Somu. Are we clear?" she added curtly.

He was saved from making a bigger fool of himself by the appearance of a large figure, who was turning onto the street via a shortcut through the left alley. The person was stumbling around, leaning from left to right in some dizzy dance, obviously inebriated to all that were watching.

Lin quieted herself, and made a signal for the others to shush as well. She watched, more anxious than she would like to admit, but determined to pull out all the stops for this particular raid. There was no way in this world or the spirit world she was going to botch her own first mission.

They watched expectantly, cursing over ever stray movement the man made to topple into the gutter and pick himself up. After it seemed like a lifetime, he reached the pale yellow door, knocking seven times while counting it out on his fingers. Lin readied herself, tensing her sleepy muscles, winding them up for the almost undoubtedly ensuing battle.

As the door creaked out, revealing a teenage boy, mouth open in a loud yawn. She listened as carefully as she could, trying to make out if there were any secret messages relayed within those few seconds .

"So, how did it go?"

"I'm back in this dump aren't I? How'd ya think it worked?"

The boy's nose scrunched up. "I can guess a little. C'mon, just get in before you draw suspicion."

He pulled the hulking man inside the small green shack, and Lin had to wonder for just a second how many times this same routine had played out. Narrowing her eyes menacingly, she decided that she didn't need to know how long it had played out as long as it ended right now.

Both suspected inhabitants of the crumbling green house neglected to turn and lock the door, leaving it to slowly swing closed. Not that it made it that far.

The moment both men turned to retreat into the house, Lin Beifong raised a hand. Waiting until the door was a few scant inches from being closed, she waved it forward. _Go._

Her backup bended the earth around the dugout away, revealing a full squadron of metal bending police. Without pausing for a moment, not even to make sure they were behind her, Lin raced forward, kicking the earth beneath her feet upwards to strike down the door.

It fell with a crash, taking with in the entire door frame. The men fell backwards, faces shocked as they scrambled to get back up. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

Lin didn't give their question the dignity of an answer, whipping her metal wires forward to wrap around the boy's arms, judging him to be the bigger threat in the scenario. He dodged them, and she scowled at his reflexes. She had done well in attacking the younger, more able, body, but it would completely backfire if he was able to hold her off long enough for the drunken one to enter the brawl.

Lin brought up her hands to earthbend him into the ground and quickly capture him, but a whip of water cracking against her knuckles took her out of her stance. Wincing, she leaped back just in time to dodge an ice bullet that was propelled right at her head. Fuming at the thought of such a young boy getting the better of her, she bended a wire out and raced forward, going for the direct assault.

He punched out at her head reflexively, but, expecting that, she ducked and quickly wrapped the metal wire around him. He yelped and pulled back, stupidly thinking that he could snap the wires if he applied enough force. She was quick to bend the wires tighter, binding his arms to his side as he fell backwards.

"Shin!"

She barely had time to spring another wire out before a burst of flame shot out at her head. Cursing, she rolled to the side, careful to keep in drunken man's blind spot. He swayed from foot to foot, the smell of rancid cactus juice practically radiating off of him.

Just great. There was only one gang in Republic City that could get firebenders and waterbenders to cooperate, and that was the Triple Threat Triad. As a result, they were easily one of the more dangerous. It was just her luck that she had to deal with them the first time she actually led her own team. Thankfully, she thought as she eyed his drunken swagger, these guys were obviously not the cream of the crop.

Trying to stabilize himself, he leaned against the wall to get a good look at where she was. She didn't give him the time to. Punching the ground, she earthbended a square of the wall upwards, hitting him solidly against the jaw.

Groaning, he staggered back, giving her the time to leap back and cool down. Breathing heavily, Lin knew she was going to overtax herself soon, but didn't even think of letting off. There was _no way_ she was going to be the weak spot in this mission and she wasn't going to let anybody think of her as such even if it nearly killed her. She would rather collapse of exhaustion than face the patronizing faces of her so called fellow police workers.

There was a great clatter behind her as those same fellow cops finally came into formation, ready to back her up. Lin rolled her eyes, annoyed by how long it took them to do so. Resolving to make them do twenty more practice drills an hour from now on, she straightened and took her bending position, wires out and at the ready.

A unsteady stream of flames launched towards her and she ducked, using her position to bend the wire around his foot. Tugging sharply on it, she forced him to fall backwards, landing beside his fellow gang member. He moaned something about his head before falling silent, presumably concussed.

Lin rose, releasing a breath. The cops around her hung awkwardly, unsure of what to do now. "Um, Lady Beifong, do you have any orders for us?"

Pursing her lips, she asked, "Are you so dim that you can't take the initiative to search the scene without consulting me?"

They broke apart at once, mumbling their apologies as they sifted through the contents of the small, one-roomed shack. Lin sighed, exasperated. It was so hard to find good subordinates that both followed orders and could think for themselves.

Her sharp green eyes roamed around the room, looking for any trace of what they were sent to recover. Walking forward, she kicked one of the metal boxes in the corner, opening it with a loud resounding slam. Bending down to get a better look, she caught the unmistakable sound of a whimper.

Her head snapped up to look at the remaining occupants of the room. "Which one of you did that?"

They stared back, confused. Lieutenant Somu was the only one who was brave enough to speak up. "Did what?"

Lin frowned. So it hadn't come from them. Ignoring the lieutenant without a thought, she moved over to the captured suspects, checking them. She had done her job well, both were completely out cold. There was no way it had come from them, and either way, it was too loud to have come from that far away. So where had it come from?

Any other person would have waved it away, tacking it up to just another unexplainable creak in the wood or the wind whistling through the grainy rock. But not Captain Lin Beifong.

She needed to know for sure, and there was only one way to do that. Releasing a deep breath, she laid a hand on the wall in front of her. It would be hard to do this with her shoes on, but any type of contact should work. She calmed herself, knowing that in order to use her mother's technique she would need complete focus.

"Captain, look!"

Gritting her teeth, she spun on her heel to face the speaker. " _ What? _ "

It was Lieutenant Somu. Of course. Gulping, he raised a bundle of metal cords up to her vision. "I found the missing flier wires."

Taking a good look at them, Lin found that they were, in fact, the missing wires. It was a system that had only recently been implemented—metal wires being strung up around the city, allowing the low on personnel police force to use them to get around the city as quickly as they could, making them able to respond to crimes within minutes. It had the potential to be revolutionary, even if they had recently become the target of common hoodlums, unwilling to let their 'turf' be easily navigable by the police. However, she had faith it would work out in the long run.

She was a little more skeptical about the so called 'flying patrol airships'. What earthbender in their right mind would ride in one of those abominations? What was so wrong about doing things the good, old fashioned way, with solid earth dugouts and lots of virtuous patience? The day metal bending police actually used those infernal contraptions was the day she locked herself away in headquarters, interrogating suspects and doing paperwork.

Grunting in response to Somu, Lin turned back and placed her hand on the wall, uncaring of the way he visibly slumped at once again being ignored by the Captain. Trying to regain her focus, she tensed her her fingers against the cold stone, rhythmically tapping a finger against it.

The pulses radiated out from the spot of rock around to the entire room before bouncing back to her, giving her full view of the entire house. After a few seconds, her eyes snapped open and she turned to face her squad, who cowered back at her sudden movement.

Gazing over the bunch, Lin decided to give them a chance to prove themselves. "Tell me, what is wrong in this room?"

They looked over at each other, wondering what had gotten into their Captain's head this time. Again, only Lieutenant Somu answered. "It's a little messy?"

Just realizing exactly how inept these cops were, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, Lieutenant Somu, I am not referring to the fact that '_it's a little messy_'. Did none of you actually look at the building from the outside?"

This time, all were smart enough to realize staying silent would help them much more in the long run. When there was no response, she decided to educate them. "We surveyed the building from all possible directions, taking into account it's specific parameters. Two doors, one roof, three windows, and-"

Lin pointed towards the uneven intersection between the left most walls. "Four walls. I ask you, _honored_ guardians of Republic City, to think about why exactly this is the only intersection with _no corner_."

Again, she picked up the sound of the near silent whimper. Kneeling on one knee, she faced the area, pleased to find that the noise was indeed coming from inside it. Punching the ground with a fist, she bended the rocks covering the corner away. They fell away with a loud _crack_.

Two bright green eyes, wide and fearful, stared back at her own light green ones. For a moment or two she was shocked. A boy. It was just a little boy, barely five or six. His green shirt was dull and faded, presumably from numerous washings.

The same couldn't be said of the mop of curls on his head, a knotted mess so tangled she wasn't sure could be classified as hair. His face was a mass of smudges and cuts, the only clear, clean thing on him being those same bright green eyes, alarmed and apprehensive. He was shaking like a leaf, grubby and dirty, his bottom lip extended as he whimpered once again.

Lin took a minute to understand what was before her. She had expected another triad member, maybe the missing earthbender to fill the Triple Threat Trio, but not even in all the scenarios she had ran through her head had the possibility of a_ little boy_ being behind the hidden wall come up. One of the policemen behind her decided to speak up. "'Ey, I know him! He's one of those street kids!"

Street child indeed, if the smell was anything to go by. Now that the rocks had come down, the foul stench came radiating out of the small space. Lin scrunched up her nose, repulsed by it. Exactly how long had the child been in there? Had the Triad members simply put him in there to rot?

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the thought. The action seemed to scare the boy, and he started to shake. Looking more frightened than ever, he kicked the ground. "Go away!"

The kick sent a chuck of rock from the ground flying upwards, but Lin simply punched out, keeping it from connecting to her face. He'd actually been aiming for it, the little terror. Her annoyance faded as she realized the significance of the action. The child was an earthbender, albeit not a very competent one. Could he have bended the rock wall to separate him from the rest of the room?

Her interest peaked, Lin leaned forward and decided to ask him. "Did you put up the wall, boy?"

He starting blinking fast, trying to keep the tears from spilling out, but not quite succeeding. "G-Go away! Now. We didn't do any'fing, now leave us alone!"

His speech was slurred every few words by the large gap in between his front two teeth, but she was a little more concerned with his use of the word 'we'.

Suspicious, she said, "We?"

There was a movement from behind the boy, from the bundle of cloth she had assumed was a clump of red blankets. A pale face with dull orange eyes peered out from them, obviously feverish and sick.

Lin flinched back, recognizing the symptoms of this particular illness well. There was a collective intake of breath as everyone backed a safe step away. One of the cops, presumably Somu, spoke up. "The Welding Waste."

Yes, the Welding Waste. It was one of the many common sicknesses, one that had spread like wildfire through the poor and dirty slums. There was a time, a few brief weeks ago, when she hadn't been able to walk a block without seeing another person suffering from it. Thankfully, it was not fatal in most cases. Most.

Taking in the bright sheen of sweat on the boy's forehead and his labored breathing, Lin quickly deduced that he most certainly had the fatal form. Strange. She had been under the impression that only the power station workers, those for whom the illness had first cropped up with, had been infected with that form. How had such a small child been exposed to it?

The sick one gave a loud sniff, sending the other boy into a frantic panic. Breaking eye contact with her, he pulled the red blanket tighter around the boy, wiping the sweat from his brow and mumbling words of comfort. "I-It's okay Mako, you just gotta tough it out. C'mon bro, you can do f'is."

Lin felt a sharp stab of pity for the boy. He honestly thought his brother was going to survive. Well, she could say with no amount of untruthfulness that a child that small had no chance against such a debilitating sickness. He would need to have a will of steel to even make it through the fever.

Rising slowly, she let out a deep breath. What a messy situation this had turned into. A simple raid against a Triad hideout, one suspected of being the stash place for the missing flier wires. It should have been easy.

Facing the rest of her squad, Lin asked, "What is the protocol for a situation such as this?"

Lieutenant Somu decided, unwisely, to answer her again. "They seem to be doing fine on their own, I mean, whenever we see these street kids around we usually just leave them alone-"

"You are beginning to test my patience, Lieutenant Somu. I did not ask you what you and your useless, unprofessional co-workers usually do in such situations, I asked you what protocol was. Answer the question posed to you by your superior _before_ going off on such wild tangents." She snarled, disgusted by their lack of duty.

Leaving the children alone? Certainly, she had heard of such practices, especially among the lower ranks of the police force, by those who were too lazy to file out the paperwork to put them in a decent orphanage. But Lin Beifong was not about to neglect her duty, easy way out or no.

Just because she was placed in charge of this mission at the last minute did not mean she would half ass it and leave it be. She snorted. Just think of it. If she hadn't been here, those boys would have probably been left to rot, die in this stink hole. That sick one had hours at the most left already.

"Lieutenant Somu, take note of this. When you find a obviously orphaned street child, you are to take it into custody until you can hand it over to the proper officials."

With a professional nod, Lin bent down again to grab the child. He squirmed and crawled back, gripping onto his sick brother tightly. "No! We didn't do no'fing! Mako said just numbers, no'fing else. I don't wanna go!"

Ticked off, and starting to realize why so many cops simply left the children, Lin said between gritted teeth, "You are coming with me, boy, whether you like it or _not_."

And with that, she pulled him back by the scruff of his collar, tearing him away from the invalid. He started to wail, a pitiful sound that seemed too loud to come from such a small child. A dull ringing in her ears, Lin picked the boy up like a sack of onion flour, holding him under one arm as he squirmed and kicked out.

"No! No! I wanna stay with Mako! NO!"

Irritated beyond by this point, she snapped at him. "Your brother will be gone soon enough. Can't you see I'm doing you a favor? Do you _want_ to watch him die?"

The words sent him into a new level of hysteria, and he started to cry louder, thick streams of tears rolling down his face. Lin could feel a headache coming on, and she fought the urge to massage her temples.

"Captain, do you want us to hold the street kid?"

She snapped her head to face the offending officer, who was, of course, Lieutenant Somu. She hissed, "What do you take me for? Do you think I am so weak that I would require you to hold a mere child for me?"

"N-no, I never said, I thought-"

"Then I would ask you stop doing that before you hurt yourself." Lin peered dangerously at the nervous man, knowing that his behavior was nothing new. Everybody seemed to think that just because of her title, or her relation to the great Toph Beifong, that she was somehow owed some measure of respect.

She refused all the so called 'benefits' of her background, deciding that she would rather make her own name. She did not need anybody to look after her. She was not weak. She was not dainty. She was not a lady. And she wasn't giving anybody the excuse to think of her as such. If she was going to get any respect or praise from anybody, then she would earn it.

And with that, Lin tightened her grip on the squalling brat, and turned to leave the wretched house.

She went no further than a few steps before a mass of red and orange raced out before her. Surprised, she stumbled and barely stopped herself from falling face forward. She fought the rising flush, determined not to show weakness. There went her exit.

Lin looked down at the small object that was the cause of her embarrassment. Her face fell as she recognized it. A fire ferret. It looked like nothing more than a small baby, barely old enough to have the distinctive red and white markings. The child called out to it, finally ceasing in his cries. "Pabu!"

So it was his? How...cute. Not meaning the thought at all, Lin stared disgusted at the vermin. "Shoo! Go on!"

She kicked out a foot, barely connecting to the fast creature. Peering up at her, it squeaked loudly.

"Pabu Pabu Pabu! C'mon, attack! Bite 'er! _Bite 'er_!"

What a distinctive sense of humor this child had.

Rolling her eyes, she stepped forward trying, and missing, to hit the thing. As she walked to the door it trailed beyond her like a baby duck, staring up at the little boy she held under her arm, who seemed to be trying to get the creature to maul her.

"C'mon Pabu, we trained this trick a million times! The Raging Lion-Turtle! Just jump up and bite 'er!"

Lin turned the child over, hoping that if he was upside down he would be too disorientated to say anything more. It worked, but not the way she would have hoped.

Upon finding he couldn't even see his pet anymore, his tears started up anew, shaking his very frame with the force of his cries. "Pa-pabu! Ma-Mako, help me! M-M-Mako, puh-please!"

Knowing that that the boy's sick brother wouldn't be responding anytime soon, Lin marched out of the small shack, leaving the other cops to pick up the Triad members, simply focused on getting as far away from the wretched place as possible.

So focused, in fact, that she didn't even think to look back at the child she'd just left for dead, that didn't see his feverish eyes flicker open, didn't see the way he extended a trembling hand after his wailing brother, didn't hear his weak, desperate gasp.

"B-Bo."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for taking so long! Although seriously, it was your reviews that kept me from just abandoning this. You guys are the sweetest!

* * *

**Exceeding Expectations**

**Part II**

Lin Beifong regretted her decision no less than five minutes after she stepped into the police headquarters.

Perhaps not all rules had to be adhered too. Nothing would go that terribly wrong if she just...left the boy somewhere, would it? Lose him in a busy street, or in the park, or maybe she could even toss him into a bush somewhere; she'd heard that some hobos had been making due with the foliage.

He'd survived this long, so truly, how hard would the rest of his entire life really be in the grand scheme of things? She should at least be allowed to order a gag for his incessant cries—really, who exactly were the boy's parents? Rabid wolf-bats?

All this, and much, much darker ran through Chief Lin Beifong's head as she tried to quiet his screaming.

"Shush, oh, _shush_ already!" she snapped at the red faced child, who appeared to be too busy bawling his eyes out to respond. That or even _he_ couldn't hear her through his yowls.

Lin's eyes started shining with a wild, mad desperation. "What do you want? Money? Power? _Toys?_ I can give it all to you, if you would only cease your infernal crying."

His mouth stretched into another wail. She winced in preparation.

"I-I wah-want Mah-Mah-Mako!"

Lin groaned. This again. She was seized with the urge to bark back that his brother was _dead_ by now, that no one survived the Welding Waste this long—but she'd already learned her lesson on that particular line of questioning.

The only thing worse than his screaming were his pathetic attempts at escape. That last rock had actually left a scrape on her temple, one that her pride still refused to let her have seen to.

A collective chuckle at her obviously wasted efforts ran around the room. Lin's head snapped up, and she shot a glare at her subordinates.

Coolly, she asked, "Does anybody find this funny? Please, do speak up."

There was an alarming rush of productivity as all the officers bent their heads down to their desks, suddenly finding their paperwork very interesting.

Lin sighed. Now that all those eyes were finally off her, maybe she could finally deal with this problem. The boy sat curled up into a ball, his small frame enveloped by the large chair he was sitting in, one that was usually reserved for captured suspects. Eh. It would do for this particular charge.

She stared at the child, just a tad distraught at the idea of keeping him here any longer. Perhaps she should just let him go; it might even all turn out for the best-

Scowling, Lin pushed those thoughts aside. Protocol was protocol.

Snapping her fingers, she addressed an officer who was attempting to sneak past her. "You, go round up all the heads of the major orphanages. I want to know exactly who I'm handing the boy off to."

He froze guiltily. The officers positions around the Chief started mouthing pleads at him, begging him not to just cut his losses and run before they all found themselves suddenly dead, or worse, _unemployed_. He seemed about to listen to them for a moment, but then his hand ran over one of the shockingly pink bracelets on his wrist.

Straightening, he coughed out, "I have…um…other duties to attend to, Chief Beifong."

Lin turned slowly and the atmosphere turned suddenly frigid. "Pardon?"

He sucked in a breath and tried not to flinch as he answered quickly, "My daughters have a recital today and I know I didn't fill out the paperwork for a day off, but it was very last minute and they really want to see their dad cheering them on!"

She narrowed her eyes, finally recognizing him as Officer Shang, who had decorated his office with numerous pictures of his wide eyed, beaming daughters and one noticeably sulking son. There was a small impulse in the back of her mind to acquiesce, but her sense of duty overrode it in an instant.

Folding her arms, Lin declared, "Your girls should have told you to fill out the paperwork beforehand, Officer Shang. And even then, it is not their orders you listen to, but _mine_. And I order you—"

A sudden scream cut her off, and her eyes flickered down to see that the child had regressed back into a temper tantrum. Groaning, she was about to just ignore him and go on when she caught Shang's pitying gaze directed towards the boy.

Mind working fast, she amended, "And I order you to calm the boy."

Officer Shang broke his gaze with the small figure; she noted with some irritation that he seemed to have been making faces at the child. He stammered, "W-what?"

Coolly examining her nails, Lin avoided any eye contact as she repeated, "Calm the boy down and you will be allowed your day off with your daughters."

Shang's face started to shine with hope. Appreciative, he said, "Thank you, Lady Beifong—I mean Chief! Chief Beifong!"

Her eyes rolled back at his carelessness and she sighed. _The things she did for some peace and quiet._ Just a bit put at unease by his obvious delight, Lin added peevishly, "You get the leave the moment he stops wailing. Not a minute more or less. Get to it!"

Trying to hide his grin, Officer Shang knelt down slowly to address the boy, who was sniffling in preparation for another scream. Once he saw the older man approaching him, the boy's face started to scrunch up tighter. Shang noted Lin's sudden snort with a wince. This was going to be a little harder than he thought.

His fingers ran over the pink bracelets on his wrist again and Shang reminded himself who this was for. Holding his hands out in order to placate the child, Officer Shang said calmly, "I'm not here to hurt you, it's alright. Now, what's wrong?"

The boy seemed beyond reasoning, his hours of crying making him capable of no more than a few hiccups of emotion. "M-mah-mako!"

"I could have told you that," mumbled Lin, who was observing their interactions out of the corner of her eye, as was the rest of the room. The general consensus was that they best be preparing for retirement soon.

She didn't know what could even be done at this point; the boy seemed beyond hope honestly. All he did was cry and cry from the moment she'd picked him up to the moment she'd entered the police headquarters.

There'd been a brief moment of peace when they had been using the flier wires—apparently soaring above the city on a thin metal string didn't completely terrify the child, in fact he seemed to _enjoy_ it if his soft giggles were anything to go by—but it had stopped the moment they'd landed. From that point on, it had been tears and wails and tiny fists pounding on her steel uniform. There was no reason it should stop now.

Cringing a little, Shang continued, "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about that."

He looked about to cry again, and Officer Shang winced and quickly said, "But I'm sure it's going to be okay! Mako, uh, he's your brother right? And he's smart?"

The boy shook his head rapidly, looking like one of the komodo chickens in the market. "Uh huh. He's smart, really smart! He even took out my tee'f, see!"

He opened his mouth wide, exposing the wet gums of his two front teeth. Lin shrank back a little at the sight, but Shang just chuckled. "That looks good. Your brother must be very smart. Smart enough to know we'll be taking you to the orphanage, right?"

As the child sitting in front of him started to slump visibly, mouth wobbling in a terrifying way, Officer Shang added casually, "Smart enough to know that's where to look for you, _right_?"

His face lit up suddenly and he began to nod in agreement, but then his eyes flickered over to Lin and he froze. Shang caught it and, thinking fast, he leaned in close to whisper conspiratorially, "Don't worry about her; she's not as much of a dragon as she seems. You just have to know how to talk to her."

"I am not a dragon!" Lin roared, the impropriety of the conversation catching up to her. Implied '_rescue'_, broad joking winks, and now this? There was only so much an officer of the law could take.

As the boy started to cry again, his voice reaching unheard of volumes, Lin suddenly felt that a little leeway in this aspect would be agreeable. His brother was likely already dead by now; there was no 'rescue' coming anytime soon.

There was nothing improper about giving the boy a little hope and protocol had nothing detailing actions to take in these kinds of situations, not that she would listen to them at this point—she was almost sure her eardrums were bleeding. Hell, she would commit high treason if it would mean the child's silence. Pressing her hands against her ears, she hissed, "Fine! I'm a dragon!"

The sudden silence that fell after her words made her rethink just how intelligent human beings under the age of ten could be.

Officer Shang tried to keep himself from smiling, but failed just about as miserably as a person possibly could. This was one memory he hoped would last him until long into old age and senility. The boy grinned along and Shang raised a hand to ruffle his mess of hair, making the child start giggling. He made sure to broadcast his actions beforehand—no need to scare the boy even more with sudden movements.

"Now that you seem to be all nice and _calm_, I think my work here's done. Wouldn't you say the same, Chief Beifong?" Shang remarked, his grey eyes wide with innocence.

Sighing, Lin admitted, "The boy is quiet. You may take your leave of us, Officer Shang."

The thought of seeing his daughters' recital made his smile stretch further, and Shang nodded his thanks. He started to rise, but was stopped by a sudden hand clenching his bracelets. A small, dirty face stared back up at him, bottom lip trembling tellingly. "You're…going?"

With a sigh, Shang said, "Yes, I have to."

He expected tears, cries, or another tantrum at this news, but the child just breathed, "Oh."

Wondering in the back of his mind just how many people left the boy just like this, Shang sighed. Reaching down, he pulled off his bracelets with a snap and gingerly placed them on the noticeably smaller wrist. "You're not a bad kid, you know. I think my son, Ming, would've even liked you. And he doesn't like anyone!"

He winced as he remembered the events of this morning. "He keeps hanging out with these punks that call themselves the Wolfbats and oh, they're absolutely _horrible_, especially that kid who keeps stealing my hair gel—"

Taking in the boy's confused stare, Shang amended, "Look, I'm just trying to say you're not as unloved as you think you are. Things are going to get worse before they get better, that's just how life is. But don't worry, you're going to do great things, trust me. I can tell."

Lin Beifong watched the exchange thoughtfully, a small part of her sadly noting the child's blank look. Had no one ever told him this before? In the entire history of his existence, had no one thought to tell him he was worth something? A strange weight pressed down against her chest at the thought. _That was just…horrible._

Certainly, there had been a lot of pressure and weight put on her own shoulders to live up to her mother's name, but at least they had expected _something_ out of her. To have everyone thinking you incapable of even the smallest achievement, to have your entire life mapped up by where the dirty back-shop alley ended…that was the true horror.

For the first time in her life, Lin felt guilty. _And what little the boy had left, his only family in the world, his own brother…she had ripped them apart._

"Okay?"

The boy still looked confused, but he nodded. Shang gave his hair one last ruffle before finally standing. Lin waved him off as he left, her eyes still resting on the sniffling child sitting before her. Somehow she could tell that his sadness laid more in the departure of Officer Shang than the loss of his brother, and she wondered how that could be. Who could possibly get that attached to someone in so little time?

Emotions warred for dominance behind her cool façade. It was simply idiotic to be so open, he was only going to get himself hurt.

People betrayed each other all the time, so you had to cut them off before they did it to you, because if you never let them inside in the first place, then it wouldn't matter. Didn't the boy know this?

Another dull spark burst forward from the forgotten corner of her mind, offering an alternate answer to the problem. Maybe he didn't care.

Hesitant for some reason, Lin wavered before she asked, "Is there anything else you want? Other than to return to your brother?"

The sudden grumble the boy's stomach made seemed to answer that question. Looking sheepish, he started to fidget in place, still not meeting her gaze. Lin felt a little insulted; he would cry when Officer Shang left, but he couldn't even look in her in the eyes. Did he truly think her so monstrous?

Normally such a thought wouldn't bother her in the slightest—fear and respect came hand in hand, after all. Yet somehow, having this small child look terrified just to be in her general vicinity stung viciously; some long buried part of her mind told her this was only to be expected. She'd hardly been welcoming, and she had approached his removal from the side of his brother with uncalled for distain. She didn't begrudge the boy his hatred.

Shaking the dark cobwebs from her mind, Lin reminded herself that the child in question needed to be fed, and soon. Looking around, she spotted Officer Somu hunched over his desk, smoking meat buns visible on the table. Stepping neatly, she relieved him of them.

"Hey, that's my lunch!"

Lin shot the man a dark look, asking him to quickly rethink his priorities concerning his superior officers. Somu gulped nervously and got up to get himself another lunch. A couple of dumplings weren't worth his job—or his life. Slinking away nervously, he barely registered to Lin as she turned her full attention to the boy, who had finally looked up at the mention of lunch.

Taking in the string of drool hanging by the corner of his mouth, Lin drawled, "I'm guessing you like dumplings?"

"Yep!" he chirped excitedly, and then clapped his hands over his mouth. He peeked up at her under his flop of hair covering his eyes, looking scared as to what she'd do about his outburst.

Lips twitching in a subdued sort of amusement, Lin pretended not to have noticed, simply handing over the bag. His hands shot out fast, snatching the bag before she could even blink. Well…at the very least, she knew he had good reflexes, better than most of their new recruits, in fact.

Lin had a remarkably _lower_ appreciation for the way he started to shove the contents of the bag into his mouth in great greedy gulps. It dipped into the negatives when a piece of meat flew out of his mouth and landed neatly on her cheek. She wiped it away with a grimace, reminded quite well that however interesting this boy was, he was still a street child.

An orphanage would much to discipline and train him, and _something_ told her that was exactly what he needed. Specifically, the sauce stains that covered half his face were what truly enlightened her. He was an absolute mess. Quite frankly, it was sickening.

Shivering in disgust, Lin was reminded very well that she had yet to send for the heads of the orphanages. Her gaze fell at Officer Somu, who was still grumbling as he walked away. Catching on rather well as to the subject of his mumbled complaints, Lin coughed.

His head shot up guiltily, just in time to hear her say, "Officer Somu, I believe you should have the honor of calling any and all officials that should have a say where this boy goes. The owners of the orphanages and the like. You are able to handle such a task, aren't you?"

He opened his mouth to object, but Lin simply smiled chillingly. "Wonderful. I'll expect them within the hour."

Officer Somu turned a spectacular shade of purple in his attempts to think of a way to refuse without insulting her, and even the boy laughed loudly. Lin arched a careful eyebrow as the child giggled, "He looks like a catgator!"

She hummed her agreement; with that ridiculous moustache, Somu looked the spitting image. The kid laughed louder when he realized she wasn't going to berate him for his words.

Realizing that he was both outnumbered and outclassed, Officer Somu sighed and took his leave to retrieve any and all orphanage officials he could find at this time in Republic City. During a heat wave. On an empty stomach. Spirits, take him now.

Lin barely watched him go, her attention completely focused on the still laughing boy. Begrudgingly, she admitted that he looked rather cute with his face lit up in amusement. But he was still a mess; stains covered his clothes—what was left of the tattered things—and his brown mop of hair fell in clumps over his dirty face.

Her hand involuntarily reached out to touch his hair as Officer Shang had, if only to feel the texture. He froze suddenly at her touch, leaving her confused and just a bit insulted. As realization dawned, Lin felt another sharp pang of sadness in her chest.

Shang had made sure to show his hands before touching the child; she had not. She wondered what exactly had happened to him to make him so wary of sudden advances, but felt she knew enough to guess. Living on the streets was far from the safest place for a child as young as himself.

Sighing, Lin removed her hand and stepped further into his line of vision. The bright sheen of his now wet eyes told her that this was preferable. Something in her melted at the sight of his shaky smile.

Sucking in a breath to stabilize herself—spirits, what was wrong with her?—Lin began, "Well, I supposed we will have to wait until he returns. Would you rather stay here or in my personal office…?"

Lin trailed off embarrassingly as she realized something.

She didn't even know his name.

She had ripped him away from the only family he'd ever known, made him cry for the better part of the morning, and accomplished the sickening feat of getting him absolutely terrified of her very presence—and she didn't have the basic decency to know his _name_.

Shame pooled thick and heavy in the pit of her stomach, and Lin furrowed her eyebrows as another sharp pang ran through her chest, nearly cleaving her in twain. She could feel eyes on her, but didn't care about any of them except the eyes of the little nameless, forgotten child sitting right in front of her, who was biting his lip in confusion as he watched her collapse into herself.

In the midst of her self-loathing and disgrace, a single word rang through her ears. "Chief?"

Eyes snapping open, Lin found that it had come from the boy. He was staring up at her with…_concern_. She almost laughed. He had to be the most—the most _honest_, well meaning, thoughtful child she had ever met.

Still in a strange sort of shock, Lin coughed, "Yes. I'm the Chief. And…you are?"

Pouting, he waited a few seconds, gazing at her with a contemplative look beyond his years before he answered, "Bo. Bolin!"

"Bolin," she breathed thankfully, a weight off her chest. "Well, Bolin, would you like to stay here, or go wait in my office?"

His eyes narrowed as he thought. "Are there _toys_ in your office?"

"No," Lin said slowly.

Bolin hummed his displeasure—or rather, pouted. He looked to be mulling the matter over quite deeply. A shiver ran down her spine at the mischievous look that passed over his face. Sniffing, he declared, "Then you'll play with me!"

She scoffed and opened her mouth to nip _that_ little idea in the bud, but stopped when she saw the open, vulnerable look in his eyes. Had anyone ever really played with him before, other than his brother? Her chest aching threateningly, she supposed she could put aside a few minutes or so to entertain the boy.

Perhaps she could even slip in some questions about the extent of his bending ability; she'd never seen anyone capable of bending more than a pebble at that young an age, much less the good sized rock he'd sent hurling at her head an hour previous—all _without_ touching the ground.

It was interesting enough to say the least. Rolling her eyes, Lin acquiesced, "Fine."

There was a clatter behind her as one of the officers fell out of his chair in pure, unadulterated shock. He would have been made the laughingstock of the building for the look on his face alone if not for the fact that none of his fellow officers seemed to be faring much better—one appeared to be choking on some fire flakes he'd been munching on as he watched the 'show'.

As someone ran to deliver emergency aid to several of Republic City's Finest, Bolin looked as if he would need some soon himself. Gaping openly, he asked, "Really?"

Loathe to repeat herself, Lin merely nodded, noting with a displeased air that her officers were far too slow in delivering first aid. She'd make them run drills tomorrow until they could manage it within three minutes or less.

Perhaps she'd even made the boy join them, and see if his reflexes regarding food translated well into other walks of life. It would certainly make her day to show her esteemed subordinates how much better a mere child could do. A kick in the pants was exactly what some of them needed.

In her musings, it completely escaped her mind that the boy in question would be long gone by that time.

Bolin fidgeted in place for a few seconds, shooting quizzical looks up at her as he bit down on the heel of his palm. Squeezing his eyes shut, he sucked in a breath as he made an impulsive decision. She was so preoccupied in her distain that she barely noticed when a small hand slipped into hers, clutching it tightly. Wide eyes peered up at her for any angry reaction, but found only a calm, thoughtful silence.

Lin kept herself carefully distant from his actions, only making sure to etch into her mind the sight of the small smile that bloomed on his face as she squeezed his hand back.

* * *

**A/N**: Ming is actually the name of the earthbender on the team with Tahno. So take two guesses who's stealing Shang's hair gel. Also, I based Shang off that metalbending cop that got equalized by Amon, mainly cause he looked like a nice guy. But hmmm, judging on how this AU is progressing, that may not even happen. Or will it? I will eventually go forward in time to show how Lin meeting Bolin changes a lot of things. A loooot of things.

Warning you guys right now-it's also going to get a lot sadder in a few chapters.

Let's just say Mako would absolutely anything for his brother.


End file.
